


Your Friendly Radioactive Alien From Utah

by Lady_FoxFire



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-25
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 13:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_FoxFire/pseuds/Lady_FoxFire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a very good reason why your mother tells you to never pick up hitchhikers, and Colonel O’Neill is going to find out why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Once again I have returned to the universe in which a Hellmouth exist in California instead of Washington DC and Egypt was once ruled by water snakes who like to set up house in someone’s body and take control. What can I say… I like Jack and I like Xander and the two together is chaos in the making. No worries, no slash involved just some nice WTF moments.

Colonel Jack O'Neill was driving down the highway when he spied a thin column of smoke rising into the sky in the distance. Jack's eyes narrowed as he drew closer and closer to the source of the smoke.

As burned out remains of a car sitting on the side of the road came into view Jack started slowing down a little.

Letting the truck roll slowly forward as he took in the sight of the smoldering car, Jack also looked around to see if anyone needed aid. 

Reaching down, Jack plucked his cell phone from his belt. With his eyes scanning the surrounding area, Jack punched a few buttons and brought the phone to his ear, only to pull it away again. Looking at the display and seeing no bars, Jack grumbled, "Nationwide coverage my ass."

Sighing Jack looked around one more time before he pressed down on the accelerator. "With my luck I'll find a lunatic with an ax," he grumbled.

Farther down the road Jack caught sight of someone walking along the side of the road. "Right, ax murderer right on schedule," the figure turned around and held out his thumb, "or maybe it's the teenager the ax murderer is after," he mumbled to himself as he turned on his blinkers and started to slow down.

The teen ran up to where Jack had pulled off onto the side of the road to wait for him.

"Need a ride, kid?" Jack asked as the panting kid reached the passenger side door.

"Oh yeah," The kid said as he opened the door and climbed in. "Thanks for picking me up." 

"Not a problem," Jack said as he checked his mirrors before pulling back onto the road. "Where you heading?"

"Colorado. Central Colorado," the kid replied. "Umm… did you happen to see a burning car back that way?" The kid pointed a thumb back in the direction they had come.

"Yeah but it wasn't burning when I drove past," Jack replied glancing over at the kid. 

"Oh good," the kid relaxed in his seat. "I wasn't sure it would go out."

Jack looked over at the kid, an eyebrow raised questioningly. "That was your car?" he asked.

"Yeah," the kid replied glumly. "I was driving along when the song Disco Inferno starts coming over the radio. Next thing I know there a puff of smoke from the engine. Pulled off the side, grabbed my backpack and bailed out of the car. I turned around to look at it and it's engulfed in flames. Since no one came to investigate I started walking, hoping to run into someone."

"Damn," Jack shook his head. "Damn. I mean talk about bad luck. By the way, name's Jack."

"Xander," the kid said in reply. "If you want to talk about luck you should ask me about the first car I started my trip with."

"First car?" Jack said.

"1957 Chevy aqua-blue Bel Air convertible. My parents made me buy it from my uncle," Xander explained with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyways I was driving along, an hour and a half, maybe two hours away from the California/Nevada border when the engine fell out literately. Engine fell down and car rolled over it. Tore the undercarriage to shreds."

"Ouch," Jack said in sympathy.

"Spent the rest of the summer up until 3 days ago working as a dishwasher/bartender at a strip club so I could save up to buy the flaming road side attraction back there," Xander said.

"No one to call back at home for help?" Jack asked.

Xander shook his head. "Nope. Parents are alkies and my friends… well they kind of think that I'm useless. Have two car self destruct will pretty much prove it to them."

"You need better friends," Jack growled.

"They're the best choice I had," Xander admitted. "At least they didn't try to kill me… often."

Jack looked over at Xander.

"Ex-girlfriends," Xander answered Jack's unspoken question.

"You know what, Xander," Jack said a few minutes later.

"What?"

"I don't think you should even go home," Jack said.

Xander let out a bark like laugh. "You don't know the half of it trust me. So how far are you heading?"

"Colorado Springs," Jack replied.

"Where's that, besides in Colorado, I assume," Xander asked.

"About 2 hrs south of Denver," Jack sped up to pass a slower car on the left.

"Any chance of bumming a ride that far?" Xander answered tentatively.

Jack shrugged his shoulder. "Sure, as long as the engine doesn't fall out or suddenly catch fire, I’ve got no problem with it."

"We'll probably be abducted by aliens before either one of those happens," Xander commented.

Jack glanced over at Xander then up at the heavens. "Well we better hope that doesn't happen." 

"Yeah. I really don't want to experience an anal probe," Xander replied with a shiver. "And why do aliens always conduct anal probes on some poor sucker?"

"They're looking for the person's head," Jack replied with a snort.

"I know I'm going to regret this but why would an alien look for someone's head up… their ass. Never mind," Xander shook his head.

Jack chuckled at Xander's reaction.

The miles sped by as the two men debated about the Simpsons and which character was the better, Homer or Bart from there the drifted into the realm of comic books, video games and television.

It was near the Utah-Colorado board that Xander asked, "Do you believe in magic, Jack?"

"One man's magic is another man's religion and a third man's science," Jack replied.

"So that’s a no?" Xander asked questioningly.

"No. I can't say I’ve seen anything that couldn't be explained by science," Jack replied with a chuckle.

"I have," Xander said softly. "You see it turns out a friend of mine put a spell on me."

Jack glanced over at Xander. "A spell? What this spell supposed to do?"

"Make me come home at the end of summer or September; some time around then," Xander admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Doesn’t sound so bad," Jack said.

"Except that a messenger of some people really high up on the magical ladder said that if I go back home something bad will happen," Xander said.

Jack snorted. "And you believe them?"

"They have a pretty good track record," Xander admitted glumly.

"You can't rely on others to live you life, kid. You got to make your own choices," Jack said.

Xander sighed. "Yeah I know. It's just they said that my friend's spell had a limit. That if I could cross the board into Colorado all of her spells on me will be broken."

"So that’s why you're going to Colorado," Jack said in disbelief. "Trying to break this spell?"

Xander nodded his head. "Yeah. The closer to center of Colorado, the better," he answered simply. "Just do me one favor, Jack."

"What's that?" Jack asked as he once again glanced over at his passenger.

"Once we cross the border," Xander nodded to the 'Now leaving Utah' sign, "no matter what happens don't stop, don't turn back, don't stop," Xander let out a gasp of pain. "Just keep driving."

Jack looked over to the younger man only to find his face contorted with pain and his whole body softly glowing.

"Don't stop," Xander gasped through the pain as the glow surrounding him became slightly brighter. "Keep driving."

"We're about 5 and half to 6 hours outside of Colorado Springs," Jack stated as he pressed down on the accelerator.

"I'm trusting you on this, Jack," Xander said as he bit his lip through the pain. "Don't know what she did to me but it hurts."

"How bad?" Jack inquired as he tried to make a decision.

Xander's face twisted up in pain as another wave of magic went through him. "Like the football team used me as a tackle dummy again."

"We're not far from a hospital," Jack suggested.

Xander shook his head. "No. Nothing they could do for me anyway. It's the spells she laid on me breaking down, unraveling," Xander said through gritted teeth. "The farther we are from the border the better it will be. I hope."

Jack glanced over at Xander, his eyes gauging the glow surrounding and the pain in the young man's face. "What about a airlift?"

Xander glanced over to the older man. "You mean like life flight, a helicopter?"

Jack nodded his head. "We could have you flown to Colorado Spring or further away if necessary."

Xander was quiet for a moment before saying, "Too dangerous. No way to know how this would react. Too many lives lost if it does. Besides how could we get a helicopter?"

"I know some people," Jack said slyly. "They owe me some favors I could call in."

Xander blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Why? You just met me."

"It's what friends do," Jack replied. "Something I'm guess you're not used to if your friends did this to you."

"Once," Xander said through the pain. "Knew it once but he died."

Jack glanced over at Xander; not because of the words the young man said but for the tone. "Yeah. I know how that is. So if we get pulled over for speeding do you think the police will believe you're radioactive?"

Xander snorted. "We could tell them that I'm some type of glowing alien you picked up in Nevada."

"Yeah but I picked up you in Utah," Jack replied without missing a beat.

"So I'm a radioactive glowing alien with a bad sense of direction," Xander said with a smirk.

"Won't be the first time," Jack mumbled softly to himself as his truck increased speed.

~*~

It was a little over 4 hours later when Jack pulled up to the gate for the Cheyenne Mountain military base. By this time Xander was exhausted from the pain and the glow surrounding him had grown until it blurred his appearance.

"Colonel O'Neill, sir," the guard saluted as he saw Jack, his eyes then moving over to the passenger seat. "Sir?"

"Nothing to concern yourself about soldier," Jack said.

"Just your friendly radioactive alien from Utah," Xander said with a tired, pain filled chuckle.

The soldier took an involuntary step back at the mention of radioactive.

Jack shook his head. "Contact the base and have a medical team meet me upside," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the guard said as his training took over as he hit the switch that raised the gate. While Colonel O'Neill drove through the gate, the soldier called the base.

As Jack pulled his truck to a stop and put it in park, a soldier dressed in radioactive protection suit appeared with a Geiger counter in hand.

"Oh for crying out loud," Jack exclaimed. "We're not radioactive!"

"Sir," a muffled voice came from the suit, "That was not what was reported."

Jack turned and glared at Xander as the soldier took readings. "This is your fault."

Xander chuckled painfully. "I live to serve… and torment."

"They're clear," The soldier announced as he pulled off the hood of his suit as he backed away to give the medical team a chance to get in.

Dr. Janet Fraiser came around to the passenger side and to her glowing patient. "And who do we have here?" Apparently unruffled, she began to examine her patient, as if someone showing up at SGC, glowing was an every day occurrence.

"Xander. Never did get your last name. Picked him up in Utah, didn't start doing his flashlight impersonation until we hit Colorado," Jack replied.

"It's Harris," Xander said softly as he panted through the pain. "Alexander Harris but please call me Xander."

Janet smiled reassuringly. "Ok, Xander. Can you tell me what hurts?"

"Everything," Xander said with a grimace. "It's the magic unraveling. **Shit!** Damn that hurt!" he exclaimed as another wave of pain hit him. "Don't know how many more of those I can take."

Dr. Fraiser glanced over at Colonel O'Neill at the use of the word 'magic' only to have the man shrug his shoulders.

"Alright," Fraiser said. "We need to move you down to the base hospital. Do you think you can walk?"

"Yeah, I think…" Xander was saying just before another wave of magic rocked through his body. The light surrounding him grew to the point that everyone around him turned away from the light and then suddenly there was darkness.

As their eyes cleared the medical team and Jack turned their attention back to Xander only to find him slumped in the passenger seat, the seat belt holding him in place. 

Fraiser quickly moved into action, looking for a pulse. She nodded her head sharply when she found it. "He's just unconscious," she stated. "Let's get him down to the hospital. That includes you too, Colonel. We have no idea what you've been exposed to."

Jack sighed. "I kind of figured that when he started to glow," he said as he followed the medical team towards the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

General Hammond had been off base, enjoying the chance to sleep in his own bed, when the base had been forced into emergency lockdown. Now that it had been lifted he was finally able to get in and check on the situation and his 2IC who had been at the very center of it.

"Sir, you need to stay in bed," Carter said as Jack tried to escape his hospital bed.

"But I'm fine," Jack whined.

"I understand that, sir but Dr Fraiser says you're still confined to the hospital," Carter said. "I'm sure that she is just keeping you as a precaution."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "No. She's keeping me here so she can torture me with her pen light of doom. Isn't that right, General?"

Carter and Dr Daniel Jackson turned quickly around to face the General while Teal'c nodded his head as a greeting.

"Colonel O'Neill," Hammond said in a disapproving tone as he walked over to stand in front of Jack's bed. "I was rather surprised to be woken up in the middle of the night two days ago to learn that you drove up to the gate with a glowing radioactive alien."

"From Utah," Daniel chimed in.

Hammond gave Dr Jackson a look he had often given his daughters when one was helping the other get in deeper trouble than they were already in. "Thank you, Dr Jackson," he said before turning back to Colonel O'Neill. "An alien from Utah. And that my base was in emergency lockdown."

"He's not radioactive or at least that what they told me," Jack said in his defense. "And I'm pretty sure he's not an alien either."

It was at this time that pair of the base orderlies came into the room pushing a stretcher, which contained the young man, in question.

The members of SG-1 and General Hammond moved to the side in order to give the orderlies room to transfer the young man from the stretcher to the bed next to Colonel O'Neill. With professional efficiency, the orderlies quickly transferred the young man's IV to a stand next to bed.

"Dr Fraiser," the General said as the doctor walked in with a file in hand.

"General," Fraiser said with a nod of her head. 

"How are your patients?" Hammond asked with a nod toward Jack and the unconscious young man.

"Mr. Harris, the young man who precipitated the lockdown, is in a stable condition, sir," She replied simply. "The two airmen and the two nurses who came into contact with the Colonel and Mr. Harris since their arrival have been released back to active duty with no health related issues due to what ever caused Mr. Harris's condition. Whatever caused it seems to have affected Mr. Harris only. However due to the length of contact the Colonel had with Mr. Harris and in a confined space I decided it was best to hold the Colonel for longer period of observation."

"Told you she was keeping me here just to torture me," Jack grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"And Mr. Harris?" Hammond asked as he glanced over to young man.

"When Mr. Harris arrived he was suffering from dehydration and exhaustion," Dr Fraiser stated. "We immediately start treating him for the dehydration and we're letting his body recover naturally. None of the tests show any head injuries so we're hoping that it's the exhaustion that is keeping him unconscious and that he will wake up soon."

"Have you received the test results yet?" Carter asked as she studied from him from where she stood. "Was there anything that would explain the glow that had surrounded him?"

"Nothing. We found nothing on him that could explain the glow or cause the pain he was experiencing," Fraiser answered. "Our preliminary test did indicate that he was human but we won't know until we receive the DNA test results."

"Do you think it might show differently?" Daniel asked.

Dr Fraiser paused for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "Honestly, I don't know," she replied. "When I conducted an MRI in order to rule out the possibility that Mr. Harris was a host I noticed Mr. Harris has a higher than usual bone density."

"And that is unusual?" Hammond demanded.

"To a point," Fraiser replied. "One often sees high bone density when dealing with athletes, who start training at a young age in high impact sports such as gymnastics, soccer or the martial arts. However in Mr. Harris I don't see the muscle mass that one would expect to see with his bone density. It is possible that Mr. Harris's high bone density is caused by a genetic mutation but I won't be able to tell until after I receive the DNA results."

"So he's either an alien, a member of X-Men or a kid from California, who's been cursed by a friend," Jack said from his bed.

"Magic doesn't exist," Carter stated. "It's possible that the glow and pain Mr. Harris experienced was the result of some Ancient technology. It could also explain the high bone density. Perhaps a healing device of some sorts."

"What we have right now are more questions than answers," General Hammond said with frown as he stared at the youth that was taking up a bed in his base's hospital. "When do we expect him to wake up?"

"Two to three days at the earliest," Fraiser said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Hammond nodded his head before turning to Carter. "Major, I need you to find everything you can about our guest."

"I've already started, sir," Carter replied. "I should have what you're looking for in a few hours."

"Very good, Major," Hammond said. "Please keep me informed, Dr Fraiser." 

"Of course, sir," Fraiser replied as the General walked out the door. Turning to the member of SG-1, Fraiser growled, "Visiting hours are over," as she glared at the members of the SG-1 not currently residing in one of her beds.

"You know… I just remember a really important manuscript that I just got to read," Dr Jackson said as he edged his way to the door.

"I need to see how that search is going," Major Carter added in as she followed Daniel.

Teal'c simply raised an eyebrow as he watched his teammates scurry for the door before simply walking out of the hospital.

"And as for you," Fraiser said as she turned her attention to Colonel O'Neill, "If you cause **any** problems for my staff, I'll make sure to order a rectal exam for you as soon as possible."

Jack smiled innocently as he lay back down and closed his eyes.

~*~

"And that’s when he passed out," Jack said as he recounted his leave.

"Only you would pick up someone who's under a curse," Major Lou Ferretti shook his head. "Hitchhikers are supposed to be either axe carrying mad men who will kill you then eat you or start eating you then kill, they're sex crazed nymphos or the spirit of some girl trying to go home after the dance. They're not supposed to be someone under a magic spell; that's for fairy tales."

"So does that mean you’re my evil stepsister?" Jack asked innocently.

"Nah. I'm more along the lines of the brave woodsman. You know the one who rescues the stupid girl after she's been tricked by the big bad wolf," Lou said as he puffed out his chest.

"Teal'c’s more the woodsman type," Jack countered. "You're the fool in the story."

"Then I must be the good King," General Hammond said as he directed his steely gaze at the two bickering men. 

"Wouldn't have it any other way, sir," Jack replied with an innocent grin.

With a shake of his head Hammond said, "Dr Fraiser, how is your patient?"

"Stable but still unconscious, sir," Fraiser reported. "However I expect him to awake sometime tomorrow at the very least."

"Have Mr. Harris’ DNA test results come back, yet?" Hammond asked. 

"They did, sir," Fraiser replied. "There were some interesting genetic mutations but nothing outside the norms."

"But is he from Earth?" Daniel Jackson asked. "After all we've met human on other worlds before. What's to say he isn't from Earth?"

"From all indication I would say that Mr. Harris was born on Earth and if he hadn't been then he arrived on Earth shortly after his birth," Fraiser declared.

"How can you know this, Dr Fraiser?" Hammond asked.

"I was able to run a series of tests in order to discover if Mr. Harris had ever received any of the childhood vaccinations that are required for someone to attend public schools," Fraiser stated. "In addition to those he has an old appendicitis scar." 

"What are the chance he could have received vaccinations and scar from someplace other than Earth?" Hammond asked.

"While that is a possibility, sir, the odds would be astronomical that another planet would have the same type of vaccinations and procedure that leaves the same type of scar," Carter stated.

"Do you agree, Dr Fraiser?" Hammond asked.

Fraiser paused for a moment before answering, "Yes, sir, I do. So far, none of the worlds we have visited have the same type of vaccinations and in some case they have no vaccinations at all."

"But there still is the chance that he is an alien," Ferretti pointed out.

"Yes," Fraiser replied. "But I would say it's very slim odds."

Ferretti snort. "Slim odds is what we do best."

"Noted, Major," Hammond said with a nodded of his head. "Major Carter, what can you tell us about Mr. Harris."

Carter tapped a couple commands on the keyboard and Xander's California driver's license appeared on the wall mount screen. "Alexander LaVelle Harris of Sunnydale, California. Age 17. Recent graduate of Sunnydale High School with a C average however his S.A.T scores and his IQ test show him to much brighter than his school work shows."

"So he's a slacker," Jack commented.

"Slacker?" Teal'c said. "I am unfamiliar with that term."

"Think of Jack and his paperwork," Ferretti chimed in with a chuckle.

"You're trying for the Wicked Witch of the West, ain't you?" Jack replied.

"Gentlemen," Hammond growled before the two men started their verbal sparring once again.

The two men had the decency to look embarrassed and duck their heads like little boys caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

Turning his attention back to Major Carter, Hammond said, "Do you have any more to add, Major?"

"Yes, sir," Carter replied. With a few clicks of on the keyboard Xander's driver license disappeared only to be replaced by a newspaper article and photo. The headline read '27 Dead! Methane Explosion.'

"What the…" Jack exclaimed as he stared at the photo.

"On May 25th during the graduation ceremony there was a explosion due to an undetected methane leak from the sewers. It's believed the methane was ignited by a spark from some electrical equipment," Carter explained. "The town mayor and the school's principal were listed among the dead."

"I don't remember reports of this in the paper or on the news," Ferretti commented.

"It wasn't," Carter replied. "I searched the AP and could find nothing on it. And this article," Carter nodded her head towards the article, "was on page 2 of the local paper."

"What was one page 1?" Daniel asked.

Carter tapped a couple keys and the image changed to the newspaper front page. The headline read 'Property Taxes Approved'

"You're kidding me!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Would not the death of 27 people be more important than property taxes?" Teal'c said.

"You better believe it," Jack growled. He turns and looked at the General. "Cover up, sir?"

Hammond nods his head. "It appears to be but why?"

"I might have an idea about that, sir," Carter said as she typed something on the keyboard. "While researching Mr. Harris I took the chance and looked to see if any of the students that went to school with him had a LiveJournal."

"LiveJournal?" Jack asked.

"It's a online diary of sorts," Carter explained as the image on the screen changed once again this time to excerpts from people's journal.

 

LBlaisdell - May 24th

_I know I'm going to die tomorrow, I just know it. I can feel it in my gut like when I know I'm going to be tackled hard during a game but I have to go too many lives depend on me, on all of us. I can only hope that Xander's plan works._

 

PercyW - May 24th

_Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! I can’t believe any of that! And Harris! I can’t believe that he knew about it; that he was involved. I just got in to USC on a football scholarship! I can't die yet!_

 

Harmony - May 24th

_This is all Xander's fault for breaking up with Cordelia! I know it is. I hope he dies tomorrow during graduation!_

 

Scott Hope - May 25th

_BIG SNAKE! BIG! SNAKE BAD! NO LIKE SNAKE! SNAKE BAD! BAD! BAD!_

 

A Wells - May 25th

_We have faced the enemy and lived. Just like Rebellion in Star Wars we have fought against the Emperor and all of his forces and we have won. We have freed the world from a great evil and yet the world will never know of it, nor of the price that had to be paid. For if the world was to learn what happened on this day, I fear what mankind would do to its self. Would we fulfill Gene Roddenberry's dream of a Federation or would we descend into the savages as in the Planet of the Apes? Only time will tell and I pray that I am not alive when that time comes for I feel we would not shine in the light of the truth._

_PS I really hate snakes. Not the type that slither on the ground but the other type of snake._

 

"Cover up stories, explosions and snakes," Jack grumbled. "Has all the earmarking of N.I.D. having their fingers in that town."

"What happened to them?" Daniel nodded toward the screen.

"Both Larry Blaisdell and Harmony Kendall are listed as deceased," Carter replied. "As for the others, they're still alive and still updating their online journals. Interestingly enough, none of them have mentioned what happened on that day again. They don't mention any nightmares or even attending their friends’ funerals."

"So what we have is more questions than answers," Hammond sounded thoughtful.

"And a possible foothold situation," Jack put in. 

Hammond nodded his head his brow furrowed in thought. "I think it would be best if we see in Mr. Harris can be awakened."

“Can I play bad cop this time?” Ferretti asked.

“Hey! It’s my turn to play bad cop,” Jack exclaimed.

“But the kid already met you so this time it’s my turn,” Ferretti countered.

“Some days I feel like I’m surrounded by kindergartners,” Hammond mumbled softly to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Just five more minutes," Xander moaned as Dr Fraiser tried to gently wake him.

"Mr. Harris, the General needs to speak to you," Fraiser said

Xander seemed to wake up a bit more. "General?" he croaked as he struggled to sit up in the bed.

"Allow me," Fraiser said as she used the controls to raise the head of the bed up so that Xander could rest easily yet see everyone in the room.

Xander brow was furrowed with confusion as he looked at the people in the room. "Military?"

"Air Force, son. I'm General Hammond, commander of this base," Hammond said. "Dr Fraiser, Colonel O'Neill, Major Ferretti, Major Carter, Dr Daniel Jack and Murray." Hammond introduced each person in the room with a nod of his head in their direction

"Hi. Ummm… How did I get here?" Xander asked.

"That would be my fault," Jack said as he pushed himself off the wall he has been leaning against.

"Jack?" Xander asked, confusion evident in his voice as he took in the appearance of his new friend dressed in fatigues.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, second in command of this base," Jack said as he held out his hand to Xander

"Xander Harris, civilian," Xander replied as he took Jack's hand. 

"Mr. Harris, we have some questions for you," General Hammond said.

Xander licked his lips nervously. "Questions?"

"You're not in trouble, son," Hammond said in a grandfatherly tone of voice, "but there are some things we need to know and it seems that you're the only one with the answers."

"Answers to what?" Xander replied.

"Graduation and your glow in the dark impersonation," a man with the tag of Ferretti said. "We're kind of curious to know if what you did will hurt the Colonel or anyone else in any way."

"It wasn't me," Xander shook his head. "I had nothing to do with that!"

"I understand that son but we still need to ask you some questions," Hammond said soothingly. "We also need to know about the explosion at your graduation."

Xander shrugged his shoulders. "Some freakish methane explosion," he said as his eyes drifted away from Hammond's face. "Someone didn't catch the leak from the sewers from what I heard."

"Yeah that might be true if it was an inside event but since it was outside and methane is lighter than air I kind of doubt that," Ferretti glared threateningly at Xander.

Xander held up his hands in surrender. "That’s what I was told. Someone investigated the explosion and said it was a gas leak."

"And the snake everyone talked about seeing?" Ferretti asked harshly.

"Snake?" Xander nervously licked his lips. "You mean the hallucinations that everyone kept seeing?"

"Yeah," Ferretti said with an unfriendly smile. "You know the thing about methane gas is that it doesn’t cause hallucinations and it especially won't at outdoor events where it can float away. Also it doesn't cause everyone to have the **same** hallucinations."

"Like I said that was what I was told," Xander said in his defense. "If you got a problem with it, then take it up with whoever investigated it." 

"Oh I plan too," Ferretti snarled. "You see I think there was a cover-up of some sort around that so called explosion and I plan to go to whoever is above the agents that signed off on that report and get some answers. And if they can't give me what I'm looking for I'll go to their boss and on wards. I plan to get to the truth of the matter and make sure that everyone involved with the cover-up faces the full punishment of the law."

Xander licked his lips nervously as he looked at Ferretti with concern in his eyes. "You don't think that if it was a cover-up that whoever was involved might want it to stay a secret? I mean you hear about how sometimes people disappear without a trace or end up dying in some accident."

The members of SGC shared a look among themselves as they allowed Ferretti to continue to play 'bad cop'.

"Don't you think I can defend myself or if there would be an investigation into the disappearance or death of a Major in the U.S. Air Force?" Ferretti replied. "I've met some of those bastard in AFOSI, they don't take anyone's word on anything until they've triple checked it."

"Worse than that bastard Gibbs in NCIS?" Xander asked in surprise.

"You know Gibbs?" Jack asked in surprise.

Xander turned and looked at Jack in surprise as if he's just remembered where he was and who he's with. "Know **of** him. Never met the man," Xander replied with a shrug.

"You never answered my question, Mr. Harris," Ferretti snarled. "Do you think I wouldn't be able to defend myself or if I did there wouldn’t be an investigation?"

"Fools die where angels fear to go," Xander replied simply. "The problem is sometimes the Fools come back."

"Don't you mean 'For fools rush in where angels fear to tread'," Daniel said.

"No," Xander replied grimly. "Fools died and normally in some painful manner."

"So you'll think I'll die and there won't be an investigation or there will a cover-up?" Ferretti said in a tone that said he didn't believe him.

"You wouldn't be the first and you won't be the last," Xander replied.

"Son, are you saying there's more going on in your hometown than just the explosion at your graduation?" General Hammond gave Ferretti a hand signal to back down.

Xander allowed his head to flop back onto his pillow, looking up at the ceiling while staring off into space.

Hammond looked at his men as Xander refused to answer his question.

"Do you know what caused you to glow and to experience pain when you crossed the border into Colorado?" Hammond asked as he decides to table the other subject for now.

"Magic," Xander replied softly as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Magic?" Hammond replied.

Xander turned his head and looked at the General. "Yep, but of course you don't believe me," he said, "after all magic doesn't exist, right?"

"It's not that we don't believe you," blond woman with the name Carter sewn on to her fatigues said. "It's just there is so many another possibilities than… magic."

"Such as?" Xander replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well…" Carter licked her lips. "Ignorance of advanced technology."

"I know how to set the clock on a VCR and to get it to record while I'm away," Xander countered.

"Okay the kid had a grasp of technology," Ferretti commented.

"Still can't get it to stop flashing 12 o'clock?" Jack said in a teasing tone.

"Unlike you I don't have an astrophysicist to do it for me," Ferretti snapped back.

"For crying out loud! It was just that one time after the power failure. I was about to get to it when Carter did it," Jack replied.

Carter shook her head with a sigh. "Hallucinations."

"I live on coffee and Twinkies. So nothing there that would cause that," Xander replied. "And I don't take any drugs or medications or have any mental conditions. Of course none of that would explain me lighting up like a light bulb either."

"A chemical reaction similar to that of fireflies could," Carter suggested.

Xander turned to Dr Fraiser who had been silently watching everything. "Anything like that show up?"

Fraiser shook her head. "I ran the full spectrum of tests. Nothing abnormal showed up," she replied.

Carter crossed her arms over her chest, her head bowed in thought. "Mass hallucinations," she suggested.

"You mean you think that I'm making you think that I was glowing and in pain," Xander replied.

"Yes," Carter replied sharply.

"Why?" Xander demanded. "What reason would I have to do that?"

A small knowingly smile graced Carter's lips. "To gain access to a secure military complex."

"Why would I want to do that?" Xander asked in disgust. "Not to mention how could I have done that? I mean I'm pretty sure you guys have security cameras around the base. Did any of them show me being a light bulb?"

Carter grounded her teeth. "I'm sure there is a logical answer, one in which I will discover in due time. After all magic does not exist!"

"You tell him, toots," a voice said with a strong Brooklyn accent.

The members of SGC turned in the direction of the voice to find a man who was dressed as though he had stepped out of a 1950's detective story. His outfit was complete down to the fedora on his head.

The soldiers that had been assigned guard duty in the hospital immediately pointed their weapons at the intruder.

"Whistler," Xander said with the combination of disgust and resignation at the sight of the intruder

"Kid," Whistler replied as he eyes the soldiers. "Ya sure know how to jump from one skillet over the fire to another, don't ya."

"Who are you and how did you get on my base," General Hammond demanded as he motioned for the soldiers to back down.

"Name's Whistler as ya heard. Balance demon," Whistler tipped his hat to expose two small horns on top of his head. "And for how I got here… trade secret."

"He folded reality," Xander chimed in.

"How did ya know that, kid?" Whistler demanded amusement in his voice.

"Will," Xander replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"And exactly want to you mean he folded reality?" Jack asked.

"Umm… shortest distance," Xander replied. "Put two dots on a sheet of paper and fold the paper so they match. But don't crease the paper. Creasing the paper is bad."

"Sounds like A Wrinkle in Time," Ferretti commented.

As everyone looked at him, Ferretti shrugged his shoulder. "My oldest, Mary is reading it. But I don't get why creasing it is bad."

"Ya ever hear of the Bermuda Triangle?" Whistler asked.

"Yeah," Ferretti replied.

Whistler simply nodded his head.

"You're saying that the Bermuda Triangle is a crease in the fabric of the universe," Jack demanded.

"Pretty much," Whistler said with a shrug.

"You said that you were a Balance demon," Daniel said.

"Correct," Whistler replied eyeing Daniel tentatively.

"Is that the name of your people?" Daniel asked

"Nah," Whistler replied. "My people's name is something ya humans can't pronounce or even hear completely since some of it is above and below ya range of hearing. Balance demon is more the type of demon we are than a name."

"Is there more than one type of demon?" Daniel asked.

"Lots!" Xander and Whistler said at the same time.

"Of course not all of the demons are like him," Xander said with a nod of his head towards Whistler, "some of them are actually nice. And then there are the ones you run away from screaming while praying they don't eat you."

"Watch it, kid or I might be introducing ya to some of those demons," Whistler said in a warning yet teasing tone.

Carter snorted as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Demons don't exist."

"And neither do aliens, toots but guess what you're standing next to one," Whistler snapped back as he nodded in the direction of Teal'c.

"Alien? Really?" Xander said in surprise as he looked over in the direction Whistler had indicated.

"He's a Jaffa," Whistler stated as Xander looked at Teal'c with awe.

"Jaffa?" Xander said as he turned back to Whistler. "Didn't they serve the… goula, goala… the snake demons of ancient Egypt?"

"It's Gou'ald and they weren't demons," Whistler said. "They're an alien parasites with delusions of grandeur. And how did ya know about them? I know your little team didn't have a run in with them."

Xander snorted. "Read aloud from one of Giles' books once, then become fray-adjacent and see if they'll trust you help look up the monster of the week," he replied bitterly. "They would hand me whatever book they had that they **knew** didn't have whatever we were looking for. One of them was about demons or I guess it was aliens of ancient Egypt and the chopping eye."

"Chappa'ai," Daniel corrected.

"Right. What he said," Xander said. "And then there was the book of the Norse gods that describes them as looking more like aliens out of Roswell then an over-muscular man with blond hair who really should have red hair. You would think that comic book writers could get their facts straight.”

Whistler sighed as he rubbed his forehead as if to warn off a headache. "Kid, ya really have a talent for walking into it don't ya."

"Huh?" Xander said in confusion.

Whistler patted Xander on the shoulder. "You'll find out soon enough, kid," he said.

"What exactly are you on my base for, Mr. Whistler," Hammond demanded.

Whistler stared at Hammond for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "To check up on the kid. To give him the key for the storage place I put his stuff in and to tell him that the bounty has been withdrawn."

"Bounty?" Xander asked.

Whistler snorted. "Ya didn't think they wouldn't have a bounty on ya, kid? One small step back towards home and…" Whistle held his hand like a gun and pointed at Xander before pulling the pretend trigger. "H and H. No body to be found or at least identified. Of course if you do try to go home… well…"

"No worries there," Xander replied as he shook his head. "I’m a firm believer that sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs and wants of the one. After all I’ve had to face that decision once."

"So I take it that all of the stuff you’re talking about is connected to Xander's light show," Jack said.

"Actual… no it doesn't," Whistler replied. "It's really about **all** life in the universe get snuffed out in an instant."

"End of all life, huh?" Ferretti said.

Whistler shrugged his shoulders, "Only if the kid returns home. As long as he stays away, life continues."

"So… any chance the kid is Jack's or Daniel's love child?" Ferretti asked.

A number of snorts and chuckles filled the room as both Jack and Daniel gave Ferretti a look that promised revenge.

Whistler looked at the two men in question. "Ya know… I'm not sure," he said. "I can kind of see some around the eyes and mouth."

"You think my mom cheated on my dad?" Xander asked in a cautiously hopeful tone of voice.

Whistler turned and looked at Xander. "Ya think there isn't any chance she didn't?"

"Nope. None what so ever," Xander replied, "but do you really think there’s a chance that Tony isn't my dad?"

"70-30 in favor of Harris not being your father," Whistler replied after a moment of thought.

"Yeah but with my luck, I'll go against the odds," Xander said dejectedly.

"So what exactly is this so called threat to **all** life in the universe?" Jack growled.

"Well… no one is exactly sure," Whistler admitted bashfully. "Ya see there's this prophecy…"

"Magic, demons and now a prophecy," The tone of Carter’s voice indicated that she didn’t believe anything Whistler had said. "None of that exists. Magic does not exist. People confuse advanced technology with magic. Demons are only aliens that somehow landed on Earth or failed Gou'ald experiments." 

Whistler looked at Carter. "You're the type who put tweezers into the electrical outlet as a kid, ain't ya."

"What!" Carter sputtered.

"Never willing to take someone's word on a matter especially when they're more experienced on the matter," Whistler said. "Had to prove it to ya self, no matter what happens or who gets hurt in the matter."

Carter's nostrils flared as she glared at Whistler.

"What ya think, kid," Whistler said to Xander. "She remind ya of another blond? ‘I know better than ya because I'm special. Just ignore all the times I nearly kill ya or sent the world into hell.’"

Xander glance briefly at Carter before looking away. "I'm going to plead the 5th," he said softly.

A bark of laughter came from Whistler's lips. "And **now** ya show some sense of self-preservation."

"Balance Demon Whistler," Teal'c said in his deep monotone voice, "You were explaining the threat to life in the universe and a prophecy concerning XanderHarris."

"That’s one thing I always liked about Jaffa… they're always go straight to the heart of the matter," Whistler said to Xander. "Alright around the time the Mayor was going through his big change…"

"Big change?" Daniel was the one to interrupt this time.

"130-140 year old sorcerer who changed into an Olvikan demon," Whistler explained.

"The Big Bad who changed into a **big** snake demon with teeth during graduation," Xander explained. 

"How big?" Jack said. 

Xander shrugged his shoulders. "Eighty, ninety feet long. Able to swallow a person whole. Which reminds me was Snyder part troll?"

"Goblin. Remember short and nasty," Whistler replied. 

"It swallowed a person whole?' Daniel whispered in disbelief.

"Well it was Snyder, the school principal," Xander explained. "It was probably the greatest moment in my life so far. I mean everyone and I do mean everyone cheered when we saw that… then we fought for our lives."

"You celebrated the death of your principal," Teal'c said.

Xander turned and looked at Teal'c, his eyes were cold and heartless. "We celebrated the death of that monster. The Mayor turned into a demon for power. He built the town to draw people in so he could use them as trade favors with those who had powers. He sacrificed and killed people for a century so he could become a demon and gain more powers. And if you compared him to Snyder, the Mayor was a prince." 

"What did he do?" Carter said.

"He destroyed lives. The Mayor was honest he killed people. Snyder enjoyed destroying students' hopes and dreams. He loved shredding people’s self-esteem or creating situations in which someone thinks the only way to escape is by killing someone or chewing on the end of a gun."

Everyone stood and stared at Xander in shock.

"So not a Gou'ald… a little snake at your graduation?" Ferretti said with a mix of disbelief and shock in his voice.

"Nah," Xander said. "If it was we won't have had to blow the school up."

"You blew your school up?" Daniel said in shock. "Why?"

"We didn't have a volcano available," Xander replied simply.

"I'm almost afraid to ask this… but are ghosts, vampires, werewolves and all that stuff real?" Ferretti asked with dread in his voice. "I mean if demons are real, are the rest of them real too?

"Yeap," Xander replied happily. "Everything but Leprechauns."

"I think it would be best to get back to the matter at hand," General Hammond commanded. "What can you tell us about this threat?"

"Not much," Whistler admitted as he hopped up on the bed next to Xander's. "Ya see just as the kids were blowing up the town mayor, seems as all the seers on all three sides started screaming about the end of all."

"Excuse me, all **three** sides," Jack interrupted.

"The good, the bad and the neutral," Whistler replied. 

"Sounds like a spaghetti westerns?" Jack commented.

Whistler shrugged his shoulders. "Pretty much. The bad guys trying to take over the world; good guys stopping them and the neutrals just living their life one day at a time."

"Anyway after the kid and his team survived their graduations, the seers starts going on about the end of all life. Took a couple days to figure out the meaning behind it and for all sides to come to an agreement…"

"An agreement?" Daniel interrupted this time.

"Well if everything is dead, and I do mean everything, what's the point of trying to take over the world or save it," Whistler explained. "Anyway once they came to an agreement they sent me to the kid to explain the situation."

"Yeah, that was a fun meeting. Not," Xander grumbled. "Trying to get dressed for the Larry's funeral while packing up my stuff I want to keep in case the parents decide to sell it so they can buy more booze while I'm on my trip and suddenly he appears with the damn prophecy."

Whistler shrugged his shoulder. "Be glad you stayed around to the funerals instead of heading right out or you’d have lost everything you wanted to save." 

"So what exactly is this prophecy?" Daniel asked. "You've only said that if Xander returns to his hometown then all life will end."

"No one’s really sure, I mean we know that if the kid returns home then someplace out there either in this dimension or another something will happen that will end all life in this dimension," Whistler explained.

"Other dimensions?" Carter said with interest.

Whistler let out a disgusted sigh. "Should have keep my mouth shut. Look the kid's hometown sits on a weak spot in the barrier between this dimension and other less desirable ones. And occasionally something will push it's way through into this dimension and that what the kid and his friends dealt with."

"Then I was right," Carter crowed. "They're not demons but beings from other dimensions."

Whistler sighed wearily. "Yes and no. Some are from other dimensions and some are from this dimension," he said as he turned towards General Hammond as if to avoid any more of Carter's questions. "Look the Seers starts to scream about the end. Those in charge agreed that the kid should leave town as soon as possible and never return because no one was sure what would happen if the kid died while in town. Not like anyone has had any lucky killing him before, though some people did try… more than once."

"So why didn't they kill him once he was out of town?" Jack asked. "No offense, Xander but that’s what I would have done."

Xander shrugged his shoulders in response to Jack comment.

"Well… pretty much the Bad guys and the Neutral like the kid too much and told Good guys it would be open warfare," Whistler explained. "That why it took a couple days to hammer out an agreement. If the kid had stepped one inch back towards Sunnydale…"

"The bad guys like the kid," Ferretti said as he looked Xander over sizing him up as a possible threat.

Xander shrugged his shoulders. "I screwed things up."

"He screws **everyone's** plans up," Whistler stated.

"And the Bad guys like him for this?" Hammond said, his confusion evident in his voice.

"Sure! You don't want all your hard work go to waste because another bad guy's plan for the Apocalypse worked before it was time for your plan," Xander explained.

"Of course the Powers… the good guys hate him because he screws up their plans too," Whistler commented.

"And yet the world keeps spinning," Xander replied. "And I won't make any comment about some of your bosses' plans."

Whistler snorted. "Which is another reason why the bad guys like him. He kept pissing off the good guys."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Ferretti asked. "I mean they're the good guys."

Xander snorted. "They're not exactly _good_ guys."

The member of SGC looked at Xander for a moment then at Whistler who shrugged his shoulders.

Jack sighed. "Ok I'll bite, if they're not the good guys what are they?"

Xander opened his mouth to say something but then paused before his mouth snapped shut. He then ran a hand through his hair. "Look the Power… the so called good guys are only interested in one thing and that achieving perfect balance."

"What wrong with balance?" Daniel asked in confusion.

"There is only two ways to get perfect balance," Xander explained. "Either by making it so that nobody had free will or by making sure there was no one left."

"Yeah I would say they're not exactly good guys," Jack said.

"XanderHarris, if these Powers want perfect balance then why did they agree that you should leave your home?" Teal'c asked.

Xander shrugged his shoulders. "If I was to guess I would say they still need there to be life to get their so called balance. They won't care if all intelligent life was extinct as long as there was plants and animals still around. Either that or they want it to be their plan, not someone's else."

A number of the member of SGC turned towards Whistler to see if he would confirm or deny what Xander had said.

"Life still goes on. Someplace a child is playing in a puddle; someone is getting their first kiss," Whistler stated. "Beside there are some good guys who are watching the Powers to make sure they don't achieve their perfect balance."

"Ok, bad guys fighting bad guys I can see but good guys fighting good guys?" Ferretti said in disbelief.

"As the kid pointed out some good guys ain't exactly _good_ ," Whistler stated.

Xander collapse back into the bed, his eyes shut. "Ethan."

Whistler nodded his head. "And the zoo keeper."

Xander opened his eyes and stared at Whistler in disbelief. "And how exactly was **that** to help!"

"Granted the initial… implementation didn't go as planned but look what you got out of it, kid," Whistler said

"Didn't go as planned," Xander said in disbelief. "Didn't go as planned! I nearly raped Buffy! I ate a pig! The others ate Principal Flutie! Yeah I would say that it didn't go as planned!"

"Actual aside from you eating the pig, it pretty much went as planned," Whistler admitted.

"You wanted him to rape some girl?" Carter said in outrage.

Whistler snorted. "Of course not," he replied. "And we knew he wouldn't."

"But he just said he nearly raped her," Carter said as she shot Xander a look of disgust.

"No. Alpha was proving her dominance. As matriarch, it was her right to decide if Buffy could become Pack," Whistler stated. 

"And what does that have to do with anything!" Carter demanded.

"I was possessed by a spirit of a hyena," Xander said.

"And don't forget when you were possessed by a soldier. Special Forces, wasn't it?" Whistler said.

"Perhaps you could explain a bit more," General Hammond said in a voice that demanded answers.

Xander sighed. "During my sophomore year, some other students and I were possessed by the spirits of Hyenas. I was the Alpha, the matriarch of the pack and I had **absolutely** no control over what she did. The following year, I dressed up as a soldier for Halloween and got turned into one by a sorcerer."

"So you were possessed by a female hyena?" Ferretti latched on to that one fact.

"I was the best out of the group," Xander said simply. "I had more of the qualities she wanted in a host than the others."

"XanderHarris, are you still possessed by the hyena or soldier spirits?" Teal'c asked.

Xander grimaced. "Not exactly."

"Is that a not exactly yes or a not exactly no," Jack asked.

"Not exactly yes," Xander said as he shied away.

"And exactly what does that mean, son," Hammond demanded in a grandfatherly tone of voice.

"It's… they… I guess you could say they left echoes, knowledge behind," Xander picked at the blanket covering him. "I can track real well. Probably better than most humans can. I also know how to fight… humans at least. I wasn't very good against vampires and most demons." Xander licked his lips nervously. "I also know who to build bombs and use artillery."

"You're the one who bombed the school?" Hammond said.

Xander nodded his head. "I was also the one who led… I was the one who convinced them to stand and fight. I led them… I led some of them to their death."

"They knew what they were doing, kid. Ya gave them a chance to fight back, to make the bad guys pay for what they’d done," Whistler said. "Ya gave them a chance to be something than the next meal for something."

"It's never easy to have those under you command die," Hammond said before adding in softly, "No matter how long you do this job."

"So… artillery?" Jack said.

"Rocket launcher at the mall," Xander said with a trace of relief in the change of subjects.

"Why?" Ferretti said in a whiny tone of voice that seems to say 'I don't want to know but I have to know.'

"Evil 7 foot tall Smurf that could burn the humanity out of a person," Xander explained. "Of course when he does that the person normally goes up in flames with it."

"Always knew I hated the Smurfs for some reason," Jack grumbled. "He's dead, right?" 

Xander shrugged his shoulders. "He's at least in a lot more pieces than he was before they reassembled him the last time." 

"Reassembled… No. You know what, I don't want to know," Jack said quickly. "So what else do you know?"

"Umm… first aid, weapon maintenance and I think I know how to fly a helicopter," Xander hastily said the last part.

"All that and oh so much more and his friends treated him as they said fray-adjacent," Whistler commented.

"Fray-adjacent?" Daniel said.

Whistler looked at Xander only to find him looking down at the blankets. With a sigh, Whistler said, "It means out of the way and helpful only when they need him to be," he explained. "The group the kid ran with… well they took out problems…"

"You mean like vigilantes?" Carter said.

Whistler shook his head. "More like a SWAT team," he replied. "Anyway out of the whole team, the kid is the most normal and because of that they think he…"

"They think I'm helpless and need to be wrapped up in bubble wrap and stored away safely," Xander said. "Only to be taken out when needed."

"And they consider you to be normal?" Jack said in disbelief. "With all that… with everything you know and can do, you're normal?

Xander shrugged his shoulders. "For them… yeah!"

"He's also male," Whistler added. "And therefore the _weaker_ sex."

"Hey! Giles is a guy and I don't see you telling him he's a member of the weaker sex," Xander snapped. "And what about Oz and Angel?"

"Giles is a chaos wizard, who's trying to escape his past. Oz is a werewolf. Angle is a vampire and you're normal and therefore in the girls' eyes the weaker sex," Whistler said. "Don't forget they had no problem with Cordelia helping and she's normal. They only had problems with you."

"Well… well they didn't like Cordelia. They probably wanted her dead, that’s why they let her hunt with us," Xander replied with a pout

"Let me get this straight, you fought things out of B-rated horror movies with some female chauvinist…" Jack glanced over at Carter and Dr. Fraiser, "women and a couple men who are trying redeem themselves. You were granted military training and better senses than a normal human from some good guys who are actual good guys. In addition to all of this, one of your female friends used magic on you to force you to return home but if you had done that all life in the universe would end. Am I right so far?"

"Pretty much," Xander replied with a shrug.

"Well there also the 5 times that the kid's action saved the world," Whistler added in

Everyone but Xander and Whistler seem to hold their breath for a moment before slowly exhaling.

"And how many time has the world needed to be saved?" Daniel asked.

"Well there was the Master and then the Judge," Xander said as he started to count things off on his fingers, "then there was Angelus and Acathla…"

"Is Angelus and Acathla, one or two?" Jack asked

"One. Angelus is a vampire who awoke Acathla who is a demon that can suck the whole world into a hell dimensions," Xander explained.

"Ok so we're at 3," Jack said

Xander nodded his head. "Master, Judge, Acathla, Sisterhood of Jhe, Jack and his friends, Graduation…" Xander looked over at Whistler. "Am I missing any?"

"So you saved the world 5 times out of the 6 times it was endangered," Ferretti said.

"No," Xander said with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, kid," Whistler said. "You saved Buffy with CPR so she could fight the Master. You came up with the idea of the rocket launcher and you stole it. You were the one who convinced Buffy to actually fight Angelus. You were the one who dealt with Jack. And you were the one who drew up the graduation battle plans, recruited the other students, built the bomb and led the battle."

"Yeah… but I didn't… I'm the Zeppo. The bait," Xander countered.

"XanderHarris from the way you say Zeppo it seems to imply that it means that the person something else than those they are surrounded by. A zero," Teal'c said. "However Zeppo Marx from which I believe you are referring to is not a zero but a very successful man as a theatrical agent and as a man of industry. He was also an inventor."

"He had invented a wristwatch that would monitor the pulse rate," Fraiser added in. "It gives off an alarm if the person who was wearing it went into cardiac arrest."

"Oh," Xander said very softly.

"What will happen to Mr. Harris now?" Hammond asked.

Whistler shrugged his shoulders. "The kid is a free agent, able to do whatever he pleases, just like everyone else in the world. The kid even lucks out, when the school went up so did all his records. Take some tests and ya can go to college, kid."

"Book learning and Xander, bad," Xander said simply.

Whistler sighed. "Well there is always flipping burgers or stripping. Of course I could always give ya the address of a hunter in South Dakota. He'll be able to train ya up to be a traveling hunter; deals mostly with minor problems, werewolves, wendigo, skin walkers, some demons that specialize in possessions but mostly they deal with ghosts. Of course hunters don't live long. About a decade before they retire or retire in a more permanent fashion," Whistler explained. "Of course ya can always go with the plan that was laid out for ya."

Xander's eyes narrowed as he glared at the balance demon. "What plan is that?" he asked cautiously.

"Ya don't think that ya got here by accidentally, did ya, kid?" Whistler said with an evil grin. "Or that the Colonel there suddenly decided to go to Utah for some fishing instead of his nice cabin in Minnesota. And that no one bats an eye when they find out he want someplace different than he told everyone."

"Mr. Whistler, are you saying that someone or something _influenced_ on of my men to act in a different manner than usual," Hammond growled.

"Pretty much," Whistler admitted. "Now the good Colonel here was _influenced_ into taking some R &R in Utah but no one _influenced_ him in picking up the kid or bringing him back here. The Colonel did all of that on his own."

"So my trip to Utah was planned out," Jack said in a monotone.

"It was you or one of the hunters," Whistler replied. "They were hoping ya be the one to pick the kid up."

"And why exactly did they want that?" Xander asked with a dangerous undertone to his voice.

"Look kid, the good guys, the real good guys gave ya all these skills and talents to go with that white knight mind set of yours. Well they didn't want to see ya go to waste as a bartender or bus boy for the rest of your life. They'll expect you being a shooting star in the hunting community, bright and very dead in only a few years but here… here ya can true fulfill your name's meaning, Alexander." 

"The protector of man," Daniel supplied without being asked.

"Do ya think they won't want ya?" Whistler said as he pointed at the member of SGC. "You're smart, talented and courageous. You're already trained to handle a dangerous situation and how to downplay yourself so that you appear harmless. You know how to read and speak how many languages?"

Xander shrug his shoulders. "I can read about 10. Speak about 6 not including English."

"What languages?" Daniel asked a spark on interest in his eyes.

"This is destiny's reward for ya, kid. A chance to pick your own life, your own fate," Whistler said. "Life as a normal person. Life as a hunter. Or life helping them."

And with that Whistler vanished from the room leaving behind a thoughtful Xander and Dr Jackson saying, "What languages? You said you could read 10 languages and speak 6, are the same languages? Can you read ancient Latin or Egyptian? Can you read Sumerian or Linear B?"

"Oh crying out loud, Daniel!"

The End or Is it a New Beginning?


End file.
